Review: Mango Shiva
Mango Shiva
218 8th Ave SW
(403) 589-4888
www.mangoshiva.com
Ambiance: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Food: 3.75/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 4/5
Summary: Decent food, great terrific ambiance, small portions, good service. Refreshing change from more traditional EI restaurants. Convenient location but parking may be a problem depending on when you visit.
Introduction:
Mango Shiva is located directly across from Flames Central (right beside The Bay) on Stephen Avenue. Convenient access by LRT and foot traffic, with limited (although maybe not legal) parking in front of the building. With the large selection of restaurants in the city already serving this type of fare, I was hoping for an experience a little outside the ordinary with a bit if a twist.
Service:
My date and I arrived at approximately 6:00pm and somewhat unexpectedly as we were originally planning on just a quick bite before another activity. We were driving by and I recalled that I had seen the restaurant a few weeks earlier and didn't have a chance to try it as it was closed. We were seated immediately upon entry and after within one minute were poured waters and a drink order was taken. The drinks took a little over 10 minutes to arrive and barely made it to the table before the appetizers. The service was consistent for the remainder of the meal, and we were offered a replacement dish when I advised that one of our portions was overdone. Our server was friendly, attractive, and smiling throughout the meal with a very positive presence. Had it not been for the first round of drinks taking a little longer than they should have, I may have upped her to a 4.5. There was a candle on the table, however she forgot to light it so I asked the bartender (we were seated beside the bar) who promptly lit it for us. Our server was very courteous although she did not attempt to chat with us at all beyond what was required of her.
Atmosphere:
As you enter, you are immediately enveloped within the cozy, dim, authentic yet modern warmth of the restaurant. They have done a great job with the decor with a very interesting array along one wall, reflected from behind by a full length mirror which provides a really neat effect. The opposite side has shaped mirrors shaped like windows which add another touch of class.
The lighting is dim and accentuated by tabletop candles and the music was sort of like house music with an indian kick to it. Overall, we were very pleased with the decor and ambiance. The bathrooms are downstairs and are individual rooms (instead of stalls) which is very tasteful and fitting to the style of the establishment. To my knowledge there is no wheelchair accessibility for the washrooms.
There are large, cushy bench seats spanning the length of the restaurant on either side and individual 4 tops throughout the centre with a small area of booths at the front in the "lobby" area which I believe serves as a small lounge. They made a very interesting choice for seats as they have gone with these post-modern transparent plastic chairs which seem out of place in the otherwise very chic and well-thought out environment.
We were there on a Sunday at 6:00 and there were about 4 tables in the entire restaurant when we arrived. It began to fill moderately and upon leaving there were approximately 12-14 tables.
Food:
We started with an order of Beef Singharas (samosas $9.75) and Calamari with sweet chili sauce ($11). There were 2 samosas which was good for sharing but the calamari was a very small portion. I would say the calamari would be perfect for one person but at least one other appetizer would be required if sharing. The samosas were pretty standard but tasty nonetheless. The calamari was different from the typical breaded stuff you get everywhere and had an interesting twist to it.
As our entrees, we ordered a Butter Chicken ($21) and a Pork Vindaloo ($19). The butter chicken was a smaller serving as well and I believe that there was only 6 morsels in the dish. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the sauce was thick and velvety. I have had both good and awful butter chicken on several occasions and would rate this one near the top with the exception of the portion size.
The Pork Vindaloo had was a little spicier, which our server had told us, and would have been nicer had it been cut into smaller pieces. The dish came with 3 large cutlets of pork, a better than average but not outstanding sauce, and unfortunately, the meat was overdone. I advised our server of this and she offered to replace the dish but by that time we had been there a while and weren't really in the mood to wait for another dish.
Conclusion:
The restaurant has only been around for 2 months so I think it's unfair to expect perfection. The staff was all very attentive, the food was quick, and the overall feel was very comfortable. With few bumps along the way, I would say that our overall impression was very positive. We will probably give them a little while to settle in and give them another try in the new year. My only suggestion is to not go there if you are extremely hungry, or order at least 1.5 appetizers/person. For reference, John Gilchrist has rated them an 8.5/10.
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